Graduates asked not to toss hats

It is a rite of passage for all university graduates but now a university has warned students not to throw their mortarboards in the air in case they injure themselves.

Anglia Ruskin University told those about to graduate after three years of study they should refrain from the post-finals tradition of flinging hats into the air because it can damage the hats and “cause injury”.



Anglia Ruskin, based in the ancient university town of Cambridge, requests that those preparing for graduation “do not throw the hat up into the air,” in a statement on its website. “This not only causes damage to the hats but it can also cause injury if the corner of the hat hits the graduand or others who may be nearby,” it adds.

The university defended the move and said it was not banning hat-throwing. In a statement it said: “We have advised students to be careful since a student had to be hospitalised after he was struck on the head by a hat several years ago." The student received stitches but there are no other similar injuries have been recorded.